Saturday, November 23, 2019
Answers to Questions About Personal Pronouns
Answers to Questions About Personal Pronouns Answers to Questions About Personal Pronouns Answers to Questions About Personal Pronouns By Mark Nichol Here are three queries from readers about proper use of personal pronouns, followed by my responses. 1. Why does the following sentence use my instead of me?: ââ¬Å"My mother hates to spend money, thatââ¬â¢s one thing; so if she can make a joke out of my not wanting to, then Iââ¬â¢m in the clear because she can save money.â⬠The phrase ââ¬Å"not wanting toâ⬠describes a lack of a desire so wanting describes a thing, making the word a gerund a verb form that functions as a noun not a verb. Because the sentence assigns ââ¬Å"not wanting toâ⬠to a person, it requires a possessive personal pronoun (my). Wanting, of course, can also be a verb, but the point of this sentence is the attitude, not the person: ââ¬Å"My not wanting toâ⬠emphasizes the attitude, while ââ¬Å"me not wanting toâ⬠focuses on the person. A similar example is the difference between ââ¬Å"Can you imagine my wanting to wear that?â⬠versus ââ¬Å"Can you imagine me wanting to wear that?â⬠where it is the personââ¬â¢s proposed inclination, not the person herself, that is the point of the sentence. 2. Is there a quick-and-dirty method for deciding which pronoun applies in a sentence like ââ¬Å"We need to discuss you/your going to the promâ⬠? Good question. I havenââ¬â¢t read of any test to determine which form of the pronoun is proper, but hereââ¬â¢s one I just thought of (though I assume Iââ¬â¢m not the first to do so): You must be able to provide, in a syntactically and grammatically correct form, more detail about what is being discussed replace wanting, in this case, with a phrase. For example: We need to discuss you request to go to the prom. (incorrect) We need to discuss your request to go to the prom. (correct) Therefore, your is the appropriate pronoun. (And that is true for the same reason that my, not me, is correct in the previous example.) 3. Which of the following versions of this awkward statement is correct?: ââ¬Å"Glance at mine and Michaelââ¬â¢s calendar to see if we have time for lunch.â⬠ââ¬Å"Glance at Michaelââ¬â¢s and my calendar to see if we have time for lunch.â⬠ââ¬Å"Glance at our calendars to see if we have time for lunch.â⬠ââ¬Å"Michael and I have calendars. Glance at our calendars to see if we have time for lunch.â⬠ââ¬Å"Michael and I have calendars; glance at them to see if we have time for lunch.â⬠The first choice is erroneous because removing ââ¬Å"and Michaelââ¬â¢sâ⬠results in ââ¬Å"Glance at mine calendar to see if we have time for lunch.â⬠Also, itââ¬â¢s considered good form to name another person before using a personal pronoun. Therefore, the best choice is the revision ââ¬Å"Glance at Michaelââ¬â¢s and my calendar to see if we have time for lunchâ⬠if you and Michael share a calendar. If you each have your own calendar, write or say, ââ¬Å"Glance at Michaelââ¬â¢s and my calendars to see if we have time for lunchâ⬠but only if ââ¬Å"Glance at our calendar(s) to see if we have time for lunchâ⬠is unsatisfactory because your identities must be specified. The last two versions suggest overcorrection of Pythonesque proportions. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:16 Substitutes for ââ¬Å"Becauseâ⬠or ââ¬Å"Because Ofâ⬠"Have" vs "Having" in Certain ExpressionsWhile vs. Whilst
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